Professor Honored By State Association

March 27, 2007

ST. LOUIS – Barbara Parker, M.S., CRC, director of Maryville University’s graduate rehabilitation counseling program, has been chosen as the 2007 Outstanding Professional of the Year by the Missouri Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (MAMFT). Parker received her award at the association’s annual conference on March 31 at Saint Louis University.

“I was very flattered when I learned I was receiving this honor,” said Parker, a certified rehabilitation counselor who has served as director of Maryville’s program since January 2004. Though she is not a marriage and family therapist, Parker has contributed much to the field, said Becky McKenna, Ph.D., president-elect of MAMFT. “Barbara sees a value for her students to get this type of training,” McKenna said.

She added that Parker was willing to host the 2006 MAMFT conference and that Maryville will host the 2008 conference. “When we were looking around (for host sites), we had never really considered Maryville but Barbara was so gracious and eager to host the conference,” McKenna remarked. Parker said the 2006 conference tied in well with the specialization in marriage and family therapy that Maryville’s rehabilitation counseling program added last fall.

Parker said Maryville was proactive in adding the specialization, anticipating that the state of Missouri will join other states in requiring licensed counselors to have completed 60 credit hours of core-accredited coursework. Maryville’s rehabilitation counseling program core is accredited. Both Parker and McKenna noted that the field of marriage and family therapy is growing, and that it’s prudent for therapists working in other specialties, such as substance abuse, to have a working knowledge of issues relating to marriage and family therapy.

Parker joined Maryville’s rehabilitation counseling faculty in 2001. In addition to her program director duties, she serves as trainer for the program’s Professional Development Center, which provides instruction in leadership, case management, job placement/retention, and mentor training, among other areas. In this capacity, she serves as a liaison with the St. Louis employment community.

Parker holds her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Drake University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services and her master’s degree with major emphases in rehabilitation counseling and administration. She is pursuing her doctorate at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and expects to complete her work in Fall 2007.

Maryville University, founded in 1872, is a private, coeducational institution offering approximately 50 undergraduate, seven master’s and two doctoral degree programs to 3,300 students. Ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s Best Colleges in the Midwest, Maryville University prepares its students for successful and meaningful careers by offering programs that integrate liberal arts with professional studies.

Among Maryville’s most recent graduates, 94 percent are employed or attending graduate school. Approximately 15,000 alumni work and live in the St. Louis region.

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